Monthly meal planning

I know this is long over due.  And it is a long post so bear with me.  I have had some requests for this post.  There just has not been a  great time to sit down and type up a blog post.  As you can see I am not the most consistent blogger anyway.  Sorry for the tardiness.

Are you feeling kind of lost at dinner time?  With no system and what you think is nothing to eat?  I have been there.  13 years ago we moved into our first house (and we are still in that house) with one kid and hopes of expanding.  I never felt like I really had to be super organized mom with one child.  We just kind of ate simply, kind of like college students.  Lots of easy to prepare things.  It was when I had a 2nd child and was busy with my church calling as Activity day leader that I noticed we were eating out a lot during the week.  Simply because I was not prepared or it was just easier after a busy day to have food prepared for me.  Not healthy and not great for a food budget.  Eating out with one kid doesn't really cost too much, but start adding kids and eating out is a huge expense.

So I started weekly meal planning.  It was a way for me to keep track of what we were going to eat.  This also helped at the grocery store because I knew what I needed to buy for the week.  I no longer have babies, but grocery shopping is still not my favorite.  A few years ago, I got the crazy idea to try to plan meals for a month.  This way I can get my bulk shopping done the first week of the month.  Then the rest of the weeks are simply for produce, milk, bread, eggs and those sorts of things.

Weekly meal board which hangs in my kitchen, so I can see my meals for the week at a glance.

How did I start?  I needed a system to keep track.  I got a binder and made my own printable sheets to keep track.  I divided meals up by proteins.  But you can divide how ever you like (Mexican, Italian, meatless Monday, sandwich, soup, pizza, etc. Night).  Here's a little confession, but I don't cook Saturday or Sunday.  Saturday is for leftovers or we eat out 1 or 2 times a month.  Sunday is easy day.  We do more leftovers or something simple like smoothies, Julius, hot chocolate and toast, popcorn and cut up fruit, sometimes pancakes/waffles/french toast, eggs and toast, homemade soft pretzels to dip in sauce.  Those are some of my Sunday ideas.  I don't plan out those meals.  They are just whatever we want Sunday night.

My Monthly Meal Planning Binder

I also plan some time consuming meals and some easy meals because some nights are busier than others.  I want to make sure we have a good family meal before rushing off to the kids activities.  Usually, but not always, Friday is a pretty simple meal.  That way if Joel and I want to go out Friday night the kids dinner is easy to make.  Then I am not making a huge kitchen mess to clean up after coming home from a date.  Nothing kills the date mood than a messy kitchen.

I keep a pair of scissors for cutting my shopping list out, a pencil, a pen, and some post-it notes in my binder.

Tabs in my binder.  Menu Plan keeps my meal planning sheet and calendar.  Shopping list is just that.  Journal: I will have to expand on in another post.

At the end of the month I sit down with my binder.  The process can be really quick if I stay focused on the task and I should have it done in less than an hour.  Sometimes it spreads in to the next day.  I check my calendar and count how many days I need to cook for the month.  Also, looking for special days.  Like March has Erika's birthday, Pi (3.14) day, St. Patricks Day and Easter.  All together March I need 24 meals.  I carry over anything that may not have gotten used the month before.  I also plan for anything in the pantry, freezer or fridge that needs to get used up this month.  Sometimes the month before I am craving something, if that happens I have written in on a sticky note and stick it in my binder.  I ask the birthday girl what she wants for her birthday dinner.  I plan the holiday dinners, usually these dinners are traditions.  So by now I have about half my meals planned out.  I think of any family favorites we have not had for a while.  This whole time I am writing everything in pencil.  That way if I change my mind, I can erase.  To fill in the rest of the meals I try to have a few new to our family recipes.  I look through pinterest, search the internet, look in cookbooks, magazines.  By now I should have my number of dinners for the month written down.  All these go on my meal planning sheet.  Which is divided in categories by protein; Beef/Pork, Chicken/Fish/Turkey, Pasta, Soup/Salad, Meatless and Free.

Meal planning sheet in action

Meal Planning Sheet

At the start of a week I write what I want from my meal planning sheet on to a calendar.  (You can use a calendar like mine below or just grab a cheap calendar.  They have some in the dollar section at the Target at the end of the year.)  I also write the weekly meals on a white board.  (Except it is not white, shown at the top of the post.)  This may seem like over kill, but it helps me to see it better, what we are eating for the day.  After we eat a meal I cross it off of my calendar; and meal planning sheet and date it.  I do try also to plan my breakfast, lunch and snack.  I tend to eat better if I have a plan.  Not so much standing in the kitchen grabbing stuff aimlessly.

Monthly Calendar in action

Monthly Meal Calendar.  This one is blank, but I type the month and numbers in for me.  Looks cleaner.

Once you get all your meals for the month.  Write out your shopping list.  Like I said I try to get all my non perishable stuff at the beginning of the month in one big trip.  Cans, pastas, cereals, rice, spices, every thing that goes in my pantry.  Plus, all my meats and frozen goods.  I freeze all my meat in meal appropriate sizes.  I try to keep most of my pantry stuff in bulk.  So not every month is a big trip.  Plus I get all produce and stuff I need for that week.  I get extra bread too and freeze it.  We seem to run out of bread fast, but only some times.  Another tip:  Always write down something as soon as you run out of it.  Like right then, not later.  You will forget.  Or at least I do.  I also have a printable shopping list divided into categories.  This helps me be more efficient in the grocery store.  If I have planned well I should be saved from quick trips to the store for forgotten items.  And the rest of the month each week I should just be buying milk, eggs, bread, produce, yogurts, and the stuff we go through fast. 

Shopping List.  Divided in categories.

Now dinner time.  I try, doesn't always happen, but I try to plan ahead.  Get things chopped, divide up and prepped ahead of time.  Use your crockpot when you need too for busy days.  Prep dinner in the morning or afternoon if you are home then and going to be busy the rest of the day.  I believe there is no excuse to not have a homemade dinner every night of the week.  Every dinner gets a Protein, Carb (potato, rice, pasta, or bread) and a Vegetable or Fruit (sometimes more than one).  I don't usually plan out side dishes.  I just seem to add what fits with the meal or what we have on hand.  And I buy fruits and vegetables that look best at the store.  So it changes for the seasons.

So there is my way of planning.  I think there is many ways for people to meal plan.  I hope I have given you at least one idea or tip for you to use.  Cooking is a joy to me, most of the time.  I tend to show my love through my food.  I may not be the most talkative person, but if you come over I will feed you.  I like good food.  I also like to be organized.  Life just seems to be easier for me when I have a plan.  I know, I am a crazy planner.    I like to be surrounded by my family at the end of a long day, chatting over the dinner table.  This helps me to get to the end of the day with my sanity!